Construction of Komatsu plant to produce construction machinery and utility equipment (small-size machines), including forklift trucks in Yaroslavl is in progress.

This production facility will be the 47th plant of Komatsu concern (12 in Japan and 35 abroad), manufacturing construction and mining equipment. It will be Russia’s second after the plant owned by KRANEKS International Co., Ltd., a joint venture producing metal ware and structures, opened in Ivanovo in 1998. The new enterprise will be Komatsu’s first assembly plant in Russia. The plant building is a complete building of light metal structures, designed and erected by ASTRON Buildings Company. The enterprise area is 42 000 sq.m.

The plant, planned to be launched in 2010, will feature a complex production line to perform all operations, from welding to assembly, for construction and utility equipment separately. It is envisaged to start production of construction machinery with hydraulic excavators PC200, with gradual transition to PC300 and PC400 models. As to utility equipment, its production will start with forklift trucks with bearing capacity of 1–2 t, actuated by both internal combustion engine, and electric motors. Then the Company will proceed to manufacturing skid steer loaders and, by combining production of small-size machines and fork-lift trucks at one conveyor, will strive to achieving a synergistic effect in order to increase production efficiency.

Manpower is planned to reach 500 people when the plant attains full production capacity. The population of Yaroslavl, where the new plant is built, is approximately 600 thousand people. The city located near Volga, about 280 km northeastward from Moscow, is noted for rich history and culture. Besides, it is one of Russia’s leading industrial cities, attractive for foreign investors. Thus, for example, Europe’s first plant producing complete edifices of ASTRON Buildings in Russia was recently put into operation in Yaroslavl. Now is Komatsu’s turn.